these two shoes really reveal their
My guess is that this type of construction saves weight, and it will be interesting to see how it holds up as I run more miles in them (if anyone can comment on durability, please do – takes me a long time to run big miles in a pair of shoes since I review so many).Of particular note regarding construction is the weight of the Mizuno Wave Universe – it’s freakishly light. In fact, when they first arrived in the mail and I picked up the box, it was hard to believe there was even a shoe in there. My size 10 weigh in Nike Air Max 270 Dames at 3.9 oz each, which means that both of the Universe shoes together weigh less than just a single member of my pair of Ronins, which weigh 8.2 oz each. That’s saying something, especially since the Ronin is pretty light as running shoes Nike Air Max 270 Homme go. I’m not sure how Mizuno managed to shed so much weight from this shoe, but Adidas Superstar Womens it’s amazing, and definitely one of it’s major positives. The Universe is the lightest shoe in my collection by a fair margin, and I’d love to see more companies follow Mizuno’s lead (I believe the Asics Piranha and Adidas Adizero PR are the only others that currently compare).Regarding heel-forefoot height differential, I measure the Wave Ronin (with some fancy new digital C-calipers) at 25 mm heel, 16 mm forefoot, for a HF drop of 9mm. I measure the Wave Universe at 15 mm heel, 10 mm forefoot, for a HF drop of only Nike Air Max 90 Mujer 5 mm. The latter is worth highlighting as the 9 mm drop reported for the Wave Universe on the Running Warehouse website is clearly in error – I have had at least 3 independent confirmations that the drop is in fact right around 5 mm Nike Internationalist Mujer (Update 12/1/10: Looks like RW has updated this to a 5 mm drop, thought they still only report midsole values – outsole and sockliner not included.)One thing that both the Universe and Ronin share is a very comfortable fit. Both have fairly roomy toeboxes (Ronin is one of the widest I own), and neither crunches my toes in any way. I’d go so far as to say that the Ronin is one of the most comfortable shoes that I own, though I have heard that the next generation Ronin will have a redesigned upper. Apparently people had complained that the Ronin 2 was too loose in the forefoot, but I for one find Nike Air Max 90 Damen this to be one of its virtues.The Wave Universe is an interesting shoe in terms of fit and feel. It’s remarkable roomy for such a minimal flat, though a bit less-so than the Ronin, and the insole-less footbed is coated with a terry-cloth www.tobiasstiftung.de like material and feels very nice. I have not tried running sockless in them as the scratchy inner mesh and a few seams have me a bit worried about chafing. The Universe is also pretty flexible despite it’s fairly firm midsole, and overall I find it to be a very comfortable shoe in terms of fit.This is where these two shoes really reveal their differences. Because it rides close to the ground and has a lower heel, I find the Mizuno Wave Universe to be one of the easiest shoes in my collection in which to maintain a midfoot/forefoot strike. This is a bit odd since I have many shoes that are Nike Air Max 90 Donne similar in terms of heel-forefoot drop, but for some reason the Universe seems to just feel right when it comes to maintaining good form. Perhaps it’s because it’s light, flexible, and firm underfoot – really hard to say for sure. I would Nike Air Max 270 Mujer recommend this shoe as a solid choice for someone looking to work on a midfoot strike yet retain the feel and look of a traditional running shoe.On the downside, the firmness of the sole of the Wave Universe seems to cause my legs to tire faster in these shoes – again, I’m not sure why, but it’s similar to the feeling I get running in the Saucony Grid Type A4 or New Balance Minimus Road. Perhaps it’s just me – relatively thin, firm soled shoes may not be ideal for my gait and body type. It’s also quite possible that I simply haven’t run in them frequently enough to adapt – I do know runners who Nike Air Vapormax Dames have completed marathons in the Universe with nothing but positive things to say.